By Prince Musa
Women and girls have been left behind for far too long due to unfavourable traditions and cultural norms, gender activities chide.
The rebuke, which came as part of events commemorating the International Day of the Girl Child, also called for the empowerment of women and girls to enable them participate in all aspects of nation-building and decision-making.
The International Day of the Girl Child is observed every year on 11 October, providing opportunity for the world to reflect on the issues affecting women and girls. Various events were held countrywide last week to mark with the day.
In Kenema, the event was convened at the District Council Hall on Nyandeyama Road, where Alice Jeneba Koroma, Deputy Director East in the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs, told her audience that the period of discrimination against girls was over. She stressed that it was now time for the society to see girls as important as boys.
"Girls should be allowed to be girls and not mothers so that they could pursue their educational careers uninterrupted", Mrs Koroma said.
The event was organized by the Ministry of Social Welfare in collaboration with its development partners, including Street Child, Green Africa, International Rescue Committee (IRC) and the Girl Child Network.
The Sierra Leonean girl child is confronted with a number of issues, notably teenage pregnancy. There is also the phenomenon of child marriage, which has in a way fueled teenage pregnancy, leading to increase in school dropouts and maternal mortality.
Ms Koroma, in her statement, advised girls present to endeavor to prioritize their education and refrain from early sex.
Musu Kemoh, Manager of Adolescent Girls Empowerment Programe at the IRC, noted that adolescent girls become teenage mothers because of early sexual intercourse. She said as an institution they were drawing the attention of government for support of the sexual reproductive health programme both at community and family levels.
She maintained that there was a need for awareness raising on reproductive health, guidance and counseling and the implementation of family planning. She said some girls had become infected with sexually transmitted diseases due to lack of knowledge on the implication of their actions.
Jaka Koroma, a representative of the Girl Network, spoke about the importance of gender empowerment in light of the Millennium Development Goals, which have now been transformed into the Sustainable Development Goals. She said this document gives gender equality opportunity to both men and women, and therefore urged the girls to take the opportunity to empower themselves through educational means.
The occasion was chaired by a pupil from the Holy Rosary Secondary School Kenema, Ramatulai Kamara, who thanked contributors for their efforts. She said the day should be a source of motivation to girls to take their education seriously so that they could serve as leaders in future for the development of their families and the nation as whole.
Photo: Dr Sylvia Blyden Minister of Gender and Children's affairs
Copyright (c) Politico 2016
